Strange Design. From Objects to Behaviors

(Click here for the French edition)

Jehanne Dautrey & Emanuele Quinz
Idea Books, 2016

In recent years, strange — ambiguous, dysfunctional, enigmatic, and complicated — objects have emerged in the world of design. These objects are based on an approach that has been called anti-design, radical, conceptual, or critical design — a speculative design that instead of offering solutions raises questions. Design that is not subject to the imperatives of the power structures of society, but is instead critical. Via a strategy of modifying objects away from their usual forms and utilitarian functions, this design evokes unusual uses and behaviors, in turn opening the way to a more profound questioning of social and political values.

With the contributions of Gijs Bakker, Jurgen Bey, Pieke Bergmans, Bless, Jan Boelen, Elio Caccavale, Florence Doléac, Anthony Dunne & Fiona Raby, Didier Faustino, Catherine Geel, Ugo La Pietra, Mathieu Lehanneur, Luca Marchetti, Alessandro Mendini, Gianni Pettena, Stijn Ruys, and Noam Toran.

With the support of the Ecole nationale supérieure des Arts Décoratifs in Paris and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d’Art et de Design in Nancy, as well as the “Scènes du Monde, Création, Savoirs Critiques” Université Paris 8 Research Unit (EA 1573).


Artistic direction: Ludovic Burel
Graphic design: Clément Le Tulle-Neyret
Translation from French into English: Jonathan & David Michaelson (JD-Trad)

15 x 23 cm
380 pages
30 €
ISBN: 978 2 917053 26 3
Website: http://www.readit.fr/index.php?/catalogue/strange-design-us/